25
For a moment, Var and I stared at each other, locked in silence. Lick took a cue from his master to growl at me, but that no longer intimidated me. I’d seen him roll around like a lovesick puppy when I gave him scratches. That trick wasn’t going to work on me anymore.
“What are you doing here?” Var growled. He stood up from his rocking chair and swayed through the wooden hut. With a loud hiccup, he swung the door open and stumbled outside.
“I need your help,” I called after him, but he didn’t seem to want to listen.
The man laughed humourlessly. “Leave me alone. Illusions need to stay illusions.”
“I’m not here to talk about illusions.” Careful not to get too close, I followed him through his garden. “I’m here to make a deal.”
He staggered to a trough and dunked his head into the m
